EU: Uniform charging cable standard as of 2024

After a long planning phase, the EU Parliament has decided that a uniform standard for charging cables will apply throughout the EU from 2024. All manufacturers of smartphones and numerous other electrical devices will then be obliged to use USB-C connectors for their charging cables.

In the future, only USB-C connectors

For more than ten years now, there has been a debate in the EU about standardizing the charging cables of various electronic devices. Fourteen manufacturers have already agreed shortly after as part of a voluntary commitment to a uniform standard of cell phone power adapters, including Apple. However, this never led to a legal requirement. This is now changing: Almost unanimously the EU Parliament decided on the mandatory standardization of charging standards. The regulation is set to come into force in 2024, and with the exception of the USB-C port, all connection options are to disappear. Specifically, this affects Apple’s Lightning connector as well as the micro USB connector. The alternatives have already been pushed off the market in recent years. Besides smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, speakers, e-readers, keyboards and mice are also affected by the regulation. However, it is not yet set in stone: the EU member states still have to agree to the regulation, but this is considered a mere formality. The agreement on USB-C as a standard was already foreseeable at the beginning of the year.

Consumer and environmental protection

The EU cites consumer and environmental protection as reasons for the standardization. The savings potential for private individuals in the EU is thus estimated at 250 million euros per year and results from the fact that suitable charging cables no longer have to be purchased for all new electrical devices in case of doubt. In addition, according to the EU Commission, the regulation could lead to a saving of almost 1,000 tons of electronic waste per year. These come from discarded charging devices for electrical appliances that do not fit.

The IT industry association Bitkom, however, takes a critical view of the decision: it sees it primarily as an obstacle to innovation. Bernhard Rohleder, the industry association’s chief executive, made the following comments: “The political commitment to a technical standard will primarily slow down innovation and runs massively counter to the important principle of technological openness.” In addition, he pointed out that the policy is lagging behind market reality: charging cables are disappearing here; wireless Qi charging technology is gaining ground.